Support and casing for contactors.



PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

W. O. MUNDY.

SUPPORT AND CASING FOR OONTAGTORS.

APPLICATION FILED FBB.20,1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905,

PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM O. MUNDY, OF ST. LOUIS. MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEIV YORK.

SUPPORT AND CASING FOR CONTACTORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,381, dated May 23, 1905.

Application filed February 20, 1903. Serial No. 144,194.

To (til 1/:71/0717/ it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, VVILLIAu O. MUNDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supports and Casings for Contactors, of which the following is a specification.

hIy invention relates to improvements in a casing and support for switches, and is especially adapted for the type of electromagnetically-actuated switches used in separatelyactuated-contact train-control systems and commonly known as contactors.

In systems of train control using separatelyactuated contacts operated from a master-controller the contactors or switches are usually suspended under the car. It has been customary to mount the said contactors in rows and cover the same with a protecting-casing which is suspended independent of the contactors from the under side of the car-floor. Heretofore great difliculty has been experienced in making the contactors readily accessible for repairs and inspection and at the same time in providing a casing that would properly and eliiciently protect the contactors from injury. On account of the peculiar manner of suspending the contactors from the under side of the car-floor it has been found unsatisfactory to use a protecting-casing having a hinged side cover which is adapted to swing downwardly, as the distance from the under side of the casing to the ground would not allow the cover to be opened to a suflicient degree to render the movable and acti ve parts of the contactors readily accessible.

The object of my invention is to provide a protecting-casing for the contactors which will serve when closed to protect them efliciently and when opened to allow ready access to the said contactors, especially when they are located in positions where the distance between the under part of the contactors and the road-bed is comparatively small.

A further object of my invention is to support the contactors within said casing in a more eliicient manner.

The invention consists of a eontactor-casing provided with a hinged bottom plate and a side cover hinged to said bottom plate, the said side and bottom being so constructed and arranged that they will swing downward under the casing to allow ready access to the contactors contained in said casing.

My invention further consists of means for supporting the contactors within the casing so that the same means may be used for suspending both the casing and contactors from the car-floor.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiment of my in vention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the contactor-casing with the side cover and bottom dropped down into their open position. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the said contactorcasing, showing the covers in their closed position in full lines and in their open position in dotted lines. This figure also shows in dotted lines the relative position of the contactors within the casing and the means for supporting the same. Fig. 3 isa detail sectional view showing the preferred means for holding the contactor-casing cover in its closed position.

Referring now to the figures of the drawings, A represents the car-floor, to which the casing a, is bolted or otherwise fastened. The casing is fastened to the floor of the car by means of the bolts 12, which pass through the lugs at. As shown in Fig. 1, the back wall Z) of the casingdoes not extend the full height of the casing, but is constructed to leave an opening I) for the purpose of ventilation and to allow the escape of hot air and gases from the casing during the operation of the system. The opening 6* may be covered with a screen or wire-netting, if so desired. The end walls of the casing (I, are provided with openings 8, through which pass the conductors leading to the contactors within the casing.

The bottom plate 0 is preferably hinged to the casing at I), and hinged to the front edge of said bottom plate at A is the side plate or cover (Z, which is shown in its closed position in full lines and in its open position in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The links g, which are pivoted to the ends of the casing a at 71: and to the front cover at in, support with the assistance of the bottom plate the front cover (Z when the said cover is in its open position. The cover (Z is held in its closed position by means of the catch p ,which enters the slot f, formed in the said front cover cl. The catch or lug p is carried by the handle 9; pivoted at p, the said handle being normally maintained in the position shown in Fig. 3 by means of the spring 8. The entire casing is preferably lined with an insulating material 61. (Clearly shown in Fig. 3.)

Mounted within the casing is the plate or slab y of insulating material, the said slab being supported in its operative position by means of the shoulders 2., formed on the interior walls of the casing. Depending from said plate 3/ and fastened thereto by means of bolts 9' are the contactors B. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.) The movable contact of the contactor shown in said figure is indicated by E and the fixed contact with which it engages by E. The actuatingcoil of said contactor is indicated by b and the blow-out chute by F. The contactors are preferably mounted in the manner shown and described in my companion application, Serial No. 144,195, filed concurrently herewith.

In the normal position of the casing-cover the catch or lug p engages the opening f and holds the said cover and bottom plate a in its position as shown in Fig. 2. Now when it is desired to inspect the contactors or to repair any part of the same the handle 19 is moved so as to release the lug p from engagement with the opening f in the cover d, the handle n being maintained in its raised position by means of the spring s. Upon being released the cover (Z swings downward, supported by the links 9 and by the bottom plate a in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. It is thus seen that by so supporting the cover when in its open position and also by allowing the bottom plate 0 to move away from the casing at the same time the front side and the bottom of the contactors are exposed to view and are readily accessible for any desired purpose. Since the bottom plate 0 is comparatively narrow, it'will be seen that the said cover (Z will be supported in approximately a horizontal position directly under the casing, thereby allowing said casing to be opened when a very small space exists between the under part of the contactors and thetracks or road-bed. Furthermore, by supporting the contactors on the insulating slab or plate y within the easing the entire set of contactors may be removed from the car at the same time by merely removing the bolts n.

What I claim as new, .and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a protecting casing for electric switches, a bottom plate pivoted to the casing, a front cover pivoted to said bottom plate, and means for holding said bottom plate and said cover in a closed position.

2. In a protecting casing for electric switches, a bottom plate pivoted to the casing, a side plate or cover pivoted to said bottom plate, and supporting-links pivoted to the easing and to said side cover, the said bottom plate and links serving to support the .said cover below the casing when said cover is in its open position.

3. A protecting-casing for electric switches having a bottom plate pivoted to said casing, a side plate or cover pivoted to said bottom plate, supporting-links pivoted 'to said casing and to said side cover, the said bottom plate and links serving to support the said cover below the casing when said cover is in its open position, and a catch adapted to hold the cover and the bottom plate in the closed position.

" 4. A protecting-casing for electric switches having a pivoted side cover and bottom, means for fastening said casing to the under side of the car-floor, and means adapted to assist the bottom plate in supporting said cover below said casing when the said cover is in its open position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of February, 1903.

WILLIAM O. MUN DY.

Witnessesz BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD. 

